The Fabulous Freya - In Search Of A Home

Meet Freya! She has been through a lot over the last few months. She had enjoyed a lovely life with her adoptive mom, Kat, in NM. Kat adopted her from the AZ GSP Rescue. Kat has spent her career in the military, and had been told she would remain in the US until retirement. So, she fulfilled her adult-life dream, and adopted two dogs from the AZ rescue, Odin and Freya. She adored her “kids” and provided them with tons of love and attention. Kat was shocked to receive the news that she would be transferring to Germany, for a three-year period. She knew the stress of the trip, quarantine, and frequent boarding while she was “in the field” would be too much for her loving GSPs. So, she asked GSP Rescue for help.

There were no open adoptive homes in AZ/NM, as it can be challenging to place a pair of dogs together. We desperately wanted to place them together. After all, they were losing their mom, they shouldn’t have to lose one another as well. We found a lovely home for them in Maine. The family had two young boys and were willing to adopt Odin and Freya together. Through the help of a vast volunteer transport network, Odin and Freya were transported by car, cross-country, from NM to Maine.

Everything was going well until Odin started exhibiting signs of pain and soreness. It escalated to the point that he was very grouchy with the two young boys in the home. The family took him to the vet, and after some testing, it was determined he had Ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne illness. Given his obvious discomfort, and the fact there were two children in the home, we made the decision to move both Odin and Freya to a foster home in Maine. The foster Dad is a breeder, and the foster mom, a Vet. Odin’s pain became even more unbearable, and a blood test revealed he was also in kidney failure. We made the very tearful decision to end Odin’s suffering.

So, poor little Freya has lost her mom, her “old” home, her adoptive home, and now, her companion, Odin. She is doing well, despite all of the changes. However, she really needs a home with another doggy companion. Freya is remarkably bright and very much in tune with people and other dogs. She follows her foster dad around the house, and stays very close. He feels she worries a bit, given all of the changes, but knows she’ll be much more confident once she has a stable home life again.

Her foster dad says:
“Freya has been very easy to train. She was a terrible puller on the leash, but I was able to explain what "heel" means in just a few minutes. We are crate training Freya, and she appreciates having her own "spot." She will disappear into her crate. She has prey drive. She located the mouse nest in the wood pile with her nose and kind of stuttered to a stop. She's really put together well and has great muscle tone. Freya loves riding in the car. She curls up quietly on the back seat when we are moving, but gets up and looks around when we start turning and stopping. Freya is probably the quietest GSP I have ever known. She rarely barks, seldom whines. Freya is very respectful when taking treats from your hand. She occasionally throws a fit in her crate, but she's just trying to train us to let her out (it doesn't work here). Most of the time, crate time is quiet time and she has figured that out pretty fast. Freya is going to stick to her new owner like glue. She's very well behaved but she wants someone to set limits and boundaries for her. Giving her a job like obedience or rally would be really fun for you and her. Freya is good with kids and reportedly good around cats.”

If you are interested in more information about Freya, please contact Celeste, clong@gsprescuene.org

Rescue 101

I am a volunteer for German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue. Although I will provide some "general" information in this blog, the real life examples provided come from my personal experiences as a rescue volunteer, and experiences relayed to me by my rescue colleagues.

The word "rescue" often brings to mind dogs that have been neglected, abused, live in deplorable conditions, etc. While this is occasionally the case, very often, "rescue" dogs are family pets whom the "family" no longer wishes to keep. Perhaps the family purchased a puppy, without consideration for the amount of time it would take to train and care for the dog. Or, they have had another baby, and no longer have time to dedicate to the demands of owning a dog. Sometimes, the "parents" are divorcing, moving, and will no longer have a place in their lives for their once beloved pet. These newly unwanted dogs are either surrendered to a municipal shelter or humane society, or, the family contacts a rescue group for assistance in locating a new home. (More on the "surrender" process in a future post.)

Generally speaking, rescue organizations are manned solely by volunteers. There is no monetary compensation for the work they do. (There are exceptions to this rule, as in the case with large, multi-breed rescue groups who have shelter facilities, staff, etc. )

There are rescue groups for almost every recognized breed of dog, cat, mixed breed dogs, etc. Many of them have local (often statewide) organizations. Volunteers network with one another across their "coverage" area, and often nationwide. The goal is to rehome dogs who have been displaced, are in shelters in danger of being euthanized, etc.

Most rescue groups have volunteers who foster dogs in their home until a suitable home has been found. This can take days, weeks, or months, depending on the age of the dog, their exposure to children, level of training, health, etc. Foster homes are ALWAYS in short supply, and most rescue groups agonize over having to leave dogs in shelters when there are no available foster homes at a given time.

The number of purebred and mixed breed dogs in shelters across the country is staggering. Even more disturbing is the number of such dogs who are euthanized each day, due to shelter overcrowding and a lack of funding. So many unwanted pets...so little time...